Disney's Live-Action MOANA Movie Has Found Its Director
Disney has hired Thomas Kail to direct the upcoming live-action remake of the 2016 animated film Moana. Kail is the Tony Award-winning director of Broadway’s hit musical Hamilton.
Dwayne Johnson announced the unnecessary remake a couple of months ago, and he is set to reprise his role of Maui, the demigod of the wind and sea. The film will celebrate the islands, communities and traditions of Pacific Islanders as seen through the eyes of a young woman eager to pave her own path.
The story is inspired by Polynesian myths, Moana told the story of a young woman who disobeys her father, the chief of an island that is dealing with an impending ecological disaster and goes off on a quest to reunite a mystical relic with its owner, a goddess named Te Fiti. Along the way, she releases Maui from his island prison, is captured by a monstrous crab, and finds the strength to become the chief her father believed she could be.
The writer of the original film Jared Bush, also wrote the remake, along with Dana Ledoux Miller. Auli‘i Cravalho, who voiced Moana in the original movie, will executive produce with Scott Sheldon, Dany Garcia, and Hiram Garcia.
When the film was announced, Johnson said: “I’m deeply humbled and overcome with gratitude to bring the beautiful story of Moana to the live-action big screen. This story is my culture, and this story is emblematic of our people’s grace and warrior strength. I wear this culture proudly on my skin and in my soul, and this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to reunite with Maui, inspired by the mana and spirit of my late grandfather, High Chief Peter Maivia, is one that runs very deep for me.”
He continued: “I want to thank my partners at Disney for their strong commitment to this special endeavor, because there is no better world for us to honor the story of our people, our passion and our purpose than through the realm of music and dance, which is at the core of who we are as Polynesian people.”
Is anyone excited about this?
Source: THR